Kuhli Loaches On Gravel

[James9114]

so i have 7 kuhli loaches but i have gravel and have noticed a few of them are how can i put it fading in colour i guess. looking sort of worn on the sides, i realise now i shoudn't of purchased these fish when using gravel. im thinking there trying to squeeze into places they aint getting and rubbing against the gravel. so in short should i give them away as i think changing to sand would be too stressful and not good for any of my fish.

Thanks James

 

[guppi]

I would change the gravel if it was me.

 

[James9114]

I would change the gravel if it was me.

removing decor catching fish leaving them in buckets for maybe an hour or 2 then chucking them back into a tank with no bacteria in the sand doesn't to me. STRESS STRESS STRESS on the fishes!!!

 

[FishAreFriendsNotFood10]

how big is your tank/filter? and aslong as u keep ur filter in a bucket of tank water itll be fine ... just make sure u have the sand cleaned and ready to roll!

 

[James9114]

how big is your tank/filter? and aslong as u keep ur filter in a bucket of tank water itll be fine ... just make sure u have the sand cleaned and ready to roll!

its a 110 juwel with an internal corner filter. won't i get high levels of ammonia and nitrites because there will be no bacteria in the sand?

 

[FishAreFriendsNotFood10]

there is very little bacteria in your substrate... its all in your filter and aslong as you can keep that wet (with tank water ofc) it shouldnt be any different to doing say a 90% water change. when i changed my girlfriends tank over we kept about 30 litres of water in buckets (also placed the internal filter in a bucket) cleaned out the gravel put the washed sand in then filled up the 1st 20 litres with tank water, then added dechlorinated tap water close to the top and put the filter ornaments etc back in and temp checked the water then added the last 10 litres of water with the fish back in ... to the fish it probably felt like a large water change apart from the net chasing lol. The water went cloudy for 2 days then turned crystal clear and no fish died in the process

i read that filter bacteria can live upto 30minutes without tank water on it but i wouldnt chance it.
her tank was 100litres just for your info

 

[sXeLifer]

so i have 7 kuhli loaches but i have gravel and have noticed a few of them are how can i put it fading in colour i guess. looking sort of worn on the sides, i realise now i shoudn't of purchased these fish when using gravel. im thinking there trying to squeeze into places they aint getting and rubbing against the gravel. so in short should i give them away as i think changing to sand would be too stressful and not good for any of my fish.

Thanks James

Switching to sand isn't as complicated as you may think, I've done it twice now

 

[James9114]

there is very little bacteria in your substrate... its all in your filter and aslong as you can keep that wet (with tank water ofc) it shouldnt be any different to doing say a 90% water change. when i changed my girlfriends tank over we kept about 30 litres of water in buckets (also placed the internal filter in a bucket) cleaned out the gravel put the washed sand in then filled up the 1st 20 litres with tank water, then added dechlorinated tap water close to the top and put the filter ornaments etc back in and temp checked the water then added the last 10 litres of water with the fish back in ... to the fish it probably felt like a large water change apart from the net chasing lol. The water went cloudy for 2 days then turned crystal clear and no fish died in the process

i read that filter bacteria can live upto 30minutes without tank water on it but i wouldnt chance it.
her tank was 100litres just for your info

i'l definately have to have a good think about it. i would keep the filter spounges in a bucket of tank water while i do it all so thats not a problem. just i have shrimp aswell an i bet there a bleeder to catch. Need to stop making excuses though and just do it i guess. Thanks for all the advice though mate

 

[FishAreFriendsNotFood10]

no prob ... shrimp are fun to catch!!!

 

[James9114]

no prob ... shrimp are fun to catch!!!

any recommendation on what sand to use i heard argos sand cheap n safe but u end up sucking half of it up off a gravel vac.

 

[FishAreFriendsNotFood10]

vacuming sand is more of a light vac across the surface as the debris wont get stuck deep down like is does with gravel... (im lead to believe its easier to clean sand than gravel)

i want black sand in my aquarium but then i gotta pay top dolla for it every1 says argos play sand and tbh they must say it for a reason but you could find any type of sand online and in your LFS which catches your eye

 

[James9114]

ok last question i promise haha. as you said you put sand in your girlfriends 100 litre so how much sand did you use?

 

[FishAreFriendsNotFood10]

ooo good question!! and 1 that i cant remember lol (guna have to remember it soon though for myself lol) i think i used 8-10kg of gravel in my 90litre tank if i remember correctly sooo probably 10kgs?? you will have to account for some sand loss when washing but you shouldnt loose that much...

hope some1 else can give you the exact figure on this.. what litre/gallon is your tank so every1 knows?

 

[mislisa]

i used 50los for a 55 gallon... probably could have used more though!

 

[sXeLifer]

In regards to vacuuming it up, just hover the siphon above the waste and suck it up. With gravel the waste will be amongst the stones, on the other hand if you had sand as a substrate the waste sits on top as the grains are so tightly packed.